


Silicon & Sorcery: Beyond

by Unionhack



Category: Silicon & Sorcery
Genre: Cyberpunk, Gen, Original Fiction, Original Universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-23
Updated: 2015-07-23
Packaged: 2018-04-10 19:40:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4404806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unionhack/pseuds/Unionhack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>13 years have passed since the city of Rockpine was saved from a undead invasion brought about by a vengeful lich, and the flames of war have died down. The citizens of the advanced world worry not about battle and planet-scale strife, and instead concern themselves once again with MegaCorporations and street criminals. Life in the world, chaotic and dangerous as it was, was again normal.</p><p>But what of life beyond the grasps of the Earth? </p><p>Eden Othrenil, a dark elf woman 19 years of age, has been selected to participate in a project of a grand scope aboard Space Station Gamma Omega. As a prodigy in the field of computer science, she has been given the opportunity of a lifetime to work on the most high-powered computer yet conceived by the sentient people of Earth.</p><p>Revenge boils in the hearts of those wronged in the Great Red War, however, and even those beyond the reach of the stratosphere are not safe.</p><p>(A sequel to the UESP forum roleplay, Silicon & Sorcery, by Knight Captain Kerr.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Silicon & Sorcery: Beyond

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to Silicon & Sorcery, which is a roleplay that I participated in some years ago on the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages Forums. It takes place in a Cyberpunk version of Earth where Humans, Elves, Orcs, Trolls, and many other races walk the streets. The world is an original creation of his and a lot of us fell in love with it, leading me to write this. 
> 
> The original topic can be found here; http://forums.uesp.net/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=35954

It was an eventful day in the Othrenil household. Located in one of the better neighborhoods of London, the three-story house wasn't quite a mansion, but was more than adequate for the retirees within.  
  
Armadias and Meidia Othrenil were two dark elves in their early sixties. Having spent most of their lives working mid-end jobs under the MegaCorp known as Rendo-Clarke, they were people of little note in the grand scheme of things. They would argue that their greatest contributions to the world were that of their children; Velas, Arthas, and Eden.  
  
The couple found themselves estranged from their first two children; Velas and Arthas fled from home when they were 19 and 16, respectively. They would not have news of their lost sons until eight years later. While Velas had unfortunately perished while saving a young girl from a burning building, Arthas went on to be recruited into a mission at the government level in the city. This mission included enough perilous situations to fit within a book of its own (and it had), but in the end Arthas proved to be one of several people instrumental in saving the city of Rockpine. He and the other members of the motley-crew did not receive acknowledgement nor fame until years later, but they had undoubtedly prevented far greater catastrophe during the Great Red War. 

Arthas did not find fame as a hero, but as a musician of great renown, as the front-man of the popular band Pseudo Rhapsody. It was with his fame that he provided for himself, the parents he had reconnected with, and the younger sister he had been introduced to too late in life; she was 6 years of age when the 24 year-old Arthas had met her..

Eden was born two years after the fleeing of her older brothers, and was brought up in a stricter fashion than Velas and Arthas. As a girl she was fascinated by the amazing technology of cyberspace and the technology that facilitated it. From a young age she had the makings of a skilled programmer, a vision that she realized when she was accepted into the University of London as a prodigy at the age of 16. It was a momentous achievement for the young girl, who proved to be an excellent student and a critical thinker when it came to her favored subject.

Three years into her first degree, she had been selected to take part in a project of a great scale, the nature of which was yet unknown to her. She readily accepted a free trip to the Space Station, of course; not many got to go, after all.

Before it was time to depart, however, her parents _insisted_ that she be given a going-away party. The project would be taking up the better part of six months, and even with cyberspace chat, she would miss her family greatly.

Arthas and his own family were the first to arrive, as always. Arthas, now 37 years old, still held a youthful countenance; partly due to his being an elf, and partly because of his hobby of exercising. His hair, much to the dismay of his parents, was as long as ever, falling back past his shoulder blades.

"I know I'm early, but I want to bug Eden as much as I can before she heads out." Arthas explained with a smile. Behind him followed four others: his eldest son Velas, age 10, who was a polite child named after his uncle; twins Silas and Bethany, age 6, a pair of playful troublemakers; and his wife Nyria, who was holding their youngest daughter Winter, age 3. 

Eden knelt down and opened her arms to embrace Silas and Bethany as they raced towards her. "Hey, there's my favorite pair of tykes! Have you been behaving?"

"Not really." Bethany confessed. "Dad said there would be cake."

"I said there'd be cake if you both calmed down." Arthas clarified as he went to hug his parents. "Mom, dad. Sorry, I know it's been a while."

Meidia shook her head and kissed Arthas on the cheek. "No need to apologize. We're just glad to see all of you. Nyria, dear, it's been too long."

"Hi, mom." Nyria said, affectionately referring to her mother-in-law as she waved with her free hand. "Is it just going to be us?"

Armadias and Meidia nodded, but Arthas cleared his throat and shook his head. "Not quite. I know you're not his biggest fan, dad, but... I invited an old friend." he clarified. The sound of an engine revving was heard outside, bringing a smile to Arthas' face. The old fool was still driving the same old shitty truck. "And there he is now."

A loud knocking on the door followed, and Arthas went quick to answer it. Barely fitting the door frame stood a grizzled orc, just at the end of middle-age for his species, wearing a haphazard mix of 'nice' clothes that the orc was clearly uncomfortable wearing. A bit of a kevlar vest could be spied underneath his shirt, but his most striking feature was his prosthetic metal arm that was only covered by a sleeve that wasn't quite big enough.

"Brondar. Gods, you get uglier every time I see you." Arthas mentioned as he looked the orc up and down.

The orc furrowed his brow. "You're lucky my sight's going, tiny."

After a moment of silence, the pair broke out into laughter as Arthas stepped forth and wrapped his old friend in a hug. "It's good to see you." he mumbled. The hug was a bit painful thanks to Brondar's metal arm.

"Same to you, of course. Hope you don't mind that it's just me today. Little sprog is under the weather. Sick." Brondar explained. "Nothing serious, anyhow, but not something I want her dealing with for the entire drive from Dublin."

"You're enough company on your own, old friend. Everyone's inside." Arthas explained, waving Brondar in.

Brondar fitted himself into the door and Arthas followed. He was glad that Brondar had settled down after the mission in Rockpine; they had seen a lot of action during that short time, including the pursuit of a murderer and the negotiation of hostages at a train station. Each time, Brondar Don-Skull exemplified his role as a ferocious bruiser. Arthas regretted that he only got to tell Brondar to break a door down once. He was thankful that Brondar had the sense to not wear his trademark troll-skull helmet around the children, as much as he loved it.

The Othrenil children save for Winter immediately left Eden and rushed over to Brondar, their favorite orcish uncle. "Uncle Brondar!" Velas exclaimed as he rushed up. "Did you bring anything neat today?"

"Not this time, squirt, I'm here to congratulate your aunt." Brondar replied as he patted the boy on the head with his organic arm. "Tell your dad to show you his blades every once in a while if you want to see something neat."

Arthas sighed. "Told you, I don't do that anymore."

"Yet you still have them, don't you?" Brondar teased. Arthas rolled his eyes and stepped back from everyone else, raising his arms and shooting his cyberware arm-blades into view from the top of his forearms. In the advanced world they lived in, such body enhancements were commonplace, but Arthas had little reason to draw his blades anymore. Still, they held great sentimental value to him, and he couldn't bring himself to have them removed.

Brondar laughed as Arthas' parents leapt slightly out of fright while the kids gazed in awe. Arthas smiled as well before retracting them.

Armadias huffed. "If you're both done..."

"Yeah, yeah, just a moment. Haven't told the smallest one hi yet." Brondar insisted as he approached Nyria and Winter. "Nyri. She still hates me, huh?"

Nyria rolled her eyes as Winter buried her face in her mother's neck. "She's just scared, that's all. You're quite the sight, you know."

Brondar let out a gentle chuckle. "Yeah, yeah, I know. She'll get over it at some point." he conceded as he turned to Eden. "And of course, the lady of the hour. Congratulations, kid." he mentioned as he shook Eden's hand.

"Thank you, Mr. Don-Skull." Eden replied with a smile. "I'm glad to see you again."

"Likewise." Brondar agreed. "Glad it's someone like you going up there. Flying is enough to get me all queasy. Can't imagine being up in space for a few months. I'm already green enough as it is."

Arthas laughed and patted Eden's back. "She can handle it, you know. She's tough."

Eden smiled, but hung her head a bit. "It's going to be rough, but I'll do my best."

"Yes you will. Brondar and I fought so you would have the freedom to do stuff like this." Arthas agreed. "We're all proud of you."

Brondar nodded. "What is it you're doing, anyway?"

Eden shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. All the letter said was that I was cordially invited to participate in a project of a massive scale aboard the station. No details given. I'm even going to have to sign a confidentiality agreement when I get there."

"Figures. Damn MegaCorps." Brondar mumbled. Nyri cleared her throat in an attempt to scold the orc, who rolled his eyes and corrected his speech. "Darn... MegaCorps. And their secrets. We've already seen enough of those to know that it's usually no good."

"The situation with Nic was terrible, yes, but let's not spoil this for Eden." Arthas protested. "She'll be the seed of good in all of this, no doubt."

"No pressure." Eden mumbled.

* * *

The party was a quiet one save for Brondar's boisterous laughs and the antics of the twins. Arthas and Brondar mostly entertained through reminiscing about the tamer parts of the Rockpine mission and the crazier matches they had fought in cyber-arenas in Cyberspace. Arthas had previously been a trained arena fighter in the physical world, but quit the business as to not endanger his life once he became a father. Though the cyber-arenas lacked the impact of real fights, they were certainly less lethal.

"I'm telling you, she was as dumb as a bag of bricks." Brondar regaled those gathered. "We walk into a den of crooks and criminals and she just up and goes 'Hey, we're from the government!' without even thinking! You should have seen the looks on their faces!"

Arthas smiled. "Alright, Brondar, that's enough about the old times for one party. This is Eden's night!"

The orc nodded and smirked. "Yeah, sorry." he said as he raised his glass of water. "To Eden. You understand that cr- ...stuff better than I ever could. Well done."

It was the first thing that Brondar had said all night that brought a smile to either Armadias or Meidia's lips. The entire room clapped, causing Eden to blush. She was used to praise, but she was never very good at taking it.

She rubbed the back of her neck and smiled. "Er... thank you all, seriously. I'm going to make sure to stay in touch with all you, I promise. That includes my little niblings, too!" she declared, much to the delight of Arthas' half-asleep kids. "I'm gonna miss all of you."

"We know you're doing something big, dear. It's a fantastic opportunity." Meidia encouraged her.

"Yeah. And think of how many people will be jealous when you tell them that your brother is the guy who sings for Pseudo, huh?" Arthas boasted.

Eden rolled her eyes. "It's getting late, and I've got a long trip ahead of me tomorrow. I'm going to get some rest, alright?"

Armadias nodded. "Alright then, dear. Sleep well. We'll see you in the morning."

Arthas looked to his own family. "Guess that's our cue. Brondar, you've got guest room tonight."

"You bet your... er, ears, or whatever, that I do." Brondar agreed as he followed them out of the house. "Thanks for the food, and all that." 

 

Arthas and Eden's parents waved goodbye as everyone parted, and closed the door behind them.

* * *

Nyri and the kids went ahead of Arthas and Brondar, who elected to take the latter's truck for old time's sake.

"Still as dirty as I remember." Arthas observed as he hopped into the passenger's seat. "Feels a little odd without a gun on the arm rest or something though."

Brondar patted the glove box in front of Arthas. "That's cause it's in there. Gotta set an example for the l'il thing."

Arthas shook his head and looked about the truck, spying a picture of Bondar's daughter clipped to his rearview mirror. She was a faustian; a member of a race of red-skinned, bald, winged humanoids. The results of orc-faustian unions were always faustian, and thus Brondar's daughter Metis was not an orc. "Gotta set an example for the 'sprog', huh?"

Brondar chuckled as he sped off behind Nyria's vehicle. "Yeah... her mom doesn't really let her ride in this thing. Not until I clean it. And... that'll never happen."

"Never change, Brondar." Arthas joked as he rested his arm over the lowered window.

"Don't plan to." Brondar agreed as he cranked the stereo up a bit. Heavy metal music came on, but it went off just as quickly as Brondar turned it back down. "So... you really alright with your little sis going up there into space? Full of MegaCorp types and government toadies?"

That elicited a sigh from Arthas. "Of course I don't really like it. But this is a good opportunity for her." he argued. "She hasn't been screwed over by the MegaCorps like we have. She hasn't seen the worst they have to offer, and hopefully she won't have to. It'll be good for her to have a taste of what they can do, anyway. That's how they learn."

"No doubt. I guess she's used to Rendo-Clarke paying the bills." Brondar agreed.

"No, that was mostly me once Nyria and I got on our feet with the band." Arthas corrected. Brondar remembered now; Arthas' band consisted of Arthas himself on bass and vocals, Nyria on drums, and another old friend of Arthas' named Vaughn on guitar. He tended to forget; Pseudo Rhapsody wasn't really his kind of music in the first place, even if it was his best friend on the center stage. "Mom and dad don't agree with how I feel about all this, but they understand. They were pretty freaked out when they read Nic's book."

Brondar nodded. He had read the book as well; it detailed the ordeals of a ProtoGen employee; ProtoGen was the corporation in question that subjected Nic to genetic altercations against his will, nearly driving him to suicide before Arthas and the others managed to talk him down. The experience left a sour taste in Arthas and Brondar's mouths any time ProtoGen was concerned; seeing as the MegaCorporation was the leader in medical care and many other related fields, this was rather often. They, just like the other three MegaCorps (Arkose, Black Sun, and Rendo-Clarke), had a hand in funding the Space Station, and thus had a hand in how it was ran.

"In any case, again; it's not about what I want. It's what's best for Eden." Arthas said. "I'll keep in contact, of course, but I can't babysit her and direct her every move either. She's her own person, I can't just make her hate the MegaCorps."

"I hope you're right." Brondar mumbled. "I hope you're right."


End file.
